Peter Cronin, so near yet so far in Saturday’s William Hill Derby final, looks like making a serious impression on the William Hill Classic, which starts at Sunderland on Saturday writes John Forbes.
His Crokers Champ took a real shine to the Sunderland track as he produced a speedy 4.77 sectional on his way to a 27.12 run for the 450 metres in his solo spin at a busy trial session today, with kennelmate Tynwald Rodney also returning a promising 27.33.
However, the best run of the day came from Kevin Hutton’s Jolly Tricks, who just got under the 27 mark on a -10 track with a 26.99, and the Burford trainer was also encouraged by the efforts of El Lema (27.33), Ibiza Rocks (27.40) and Taranis Bolt (27.50).
There was a strong team from Paul Young’s range at the session and Bubbly Ninja caught the eye with a 27.07, while Southern Mesut (27.27) was the pick of Charlie Lister’s squad and last year’s winner Mileheight Alba weighted in with a 27.29.
Pinpoint Maxi, not seen on a racetrack since early April, was gives a 261-metre spin and acquitted himself well with a clock of 15.63 and his handler said: “I would have liked to get a couple of more runs into him before the Festival, but provided he’s all right in the morning he will be entered for the Classic.”
